ATFT In Rwandan – TFT Making A Difference

We have a preliminary report of the progress being made following our ATFT Trauma Relief interventions this August in Byumba, Rwanda. We are attaching the draft that we received from Brother Augustine. The report sent by Brother Augustine, summarizes the reports sent in by each of the thirty-six therapists we trained this August. The therapist’s reports had to be translated from Kinyarwanda to English by Brother Augustine, and this report, attached, contains the responses thus far translated. It is a busy season now in Rwanda and we may get a more complete summary sometime early next year.

It is good to know that the thirty- six therapist the ATFT Team trained have treated 622 people since our departure at the end of August. That is in addition to the 200 plus persons treated by the Rwandan therapists while we were there. It seems that TFT is making a big difference in the lives of the therapist’s, in the lives of those whose lives the therapists touch, and in the larger communities in which they live.

Good work ATFT members! All of you have helped in some really significant way. Thanks especially to team members, Caroline Sakai, Gordon Barrett, Carmen Carrasco, Gary and Cyndie Quinn.

Happy Holidays!

Suzanne M Connolly, LCSW
ATFT Foundation Trauma Relief Committee Chairperson.

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Association for Thought Field Therapy IZERE/RWANDA
(ATFT IZERE/RWANDA)

THE SYNTHESIS OF THE “THREE MONTHS FOLLOW-UP THERAPIST’S SELF-REPORTS”

1. HOW MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE YOU TREATED WITH TFT THESE THREE MONTHS?

During the three months, the 36 Rwandan therapists had treated 622 persons suffering from trauma and others psychological problems.
The average time for each client it was 25 minutes.
• I treated 40 students
• In these 3 months, I treated 45 people using TFT
• I treated 13 people
• Using TFT, I treated 18 people
• In these 3 months, I treated 42 people using TFT
• I treated 38 people
• As a policeman, I treated 27 people
• I treated 17 people
• In these 3 months, I treated 11 people using TFT
• I treated 15 people
• Using TFT, I treated 41 people
• I treated 13 people
• In these 3 months, I treated 49 people using TFT
• I treated 15 people
• In these 3 months, I treated 35 people using TFT
• I treated 10 people
• Using TFT, I treated 35 people
• In these 3 months, I treated 15 people using TFT
• I treated 38 people
• Using TFT, I treated 18 people
• In these 3 months, I treated 42 people using TFT
• I treated 38 people
• As a policeman, I treated 27 people

2. WHAT WAS THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF TIMES YOU SAW EACH PERSON FOR HIS OR HER PROBLEMS?

• It took me long time for 22 students. I used to meet each of them twice a day. After, I taught them to treat themselves using TFT.
• The average time per person was 60 minutes
• The average time per person was 15 minutes
• The average time per person was 45 minutes
• The average per person was 20 minutes
• The average per person was 35-50 minutes
• The average is 20 minutes
• The average time per person was 50 minutes
• The average time per person was 20-40 minutes
• The average per person was 20 minutes
• The average per person was 25 minutes
• The average time per person was 15 minutes
• The average time per person was 105 minutes
• The average time per person was 40 minutes
• The average time per person was 45 minutes
• The average per person was 20 minutes
• The average per person was 35-50 minutes
• The average is 20 minutes
• The average time per person was 50 minutes
• The average time per person was 15 minutes
• The average time per person was 45 minutes
• The average per person was 20 minutes
• The average time per person was 30 minutes

3. DID YOU FEEL THAT THOUGHT FIELD THERAPY MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THE PEOPLE’S LIVES THAT YOU WORKED WITH? PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THIS. WHY OR WHY NOT? WHEN DID IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND WHEN DID IT NOT?

• There is a big difference after treatment using TFT. There is much improvement after treatment. Students thought it was a joke, but as time went on they found I was not joking and they started using it seriously.

• The difference is vivid. I keep on watching on my clients after treating them and I observed big positive change in their lives.

• The difference is clear. For example, there is a client who used not to talk and now that client can talk after the TFT treatment.

• TFT made really a difference in the people’s lives. You treat a person and after you teach him/her how s/he can treat him/herself.

• People are happy. For instance, there is a client who told me that the nightmares and other strange images disappeared after treatment.

• My clients tell me that there is much positive change. The majority got cured and those who were not completely healed still use the algorithms I taught them according to their trauma.

• TFT brought big difference in my clients’ lives. For instance, one client told me that depression was very deep to the point of wanting to commit suicide, but after being treated with TFT the depression disappeared for good.

• TFT made a difference in the people’s lives I worked with. Many times my clients were depressed, and their anger could be seen on their faces, without happiness, even some of them were screaming before I started treating them. After treating them I was surprised to see their faces changing, they started rejoicing and laughing.

• The people I worked with gave testimonies of the wonders brought into their lives by TFT treatment. They are now doing their developmental works with confidence of a prosperous future. They used to fear interacting with other people but now they mix freely and socialize with others.

4. WERE THE PEOPLE YOU TREATED PLEASED WITH THE RESULTS THEY ACHIEVED BY USING TFT? PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THIS.

• Yes, they were all pleased with the results they achieved by using TFT. But, as I dealt with students, some of them were laughing at me in the beginning until they realized that TFT is helping them in their trauma problems.

• Yes, the people I treated were happy after treatment. When their trauma comes again the clients come back to me with much confidence to be treated, others come to ask me the appropriate algorithms to use in order to treat themselves.
• The clients I treated were pleased with what I did for them using TFT. Some of the people I treated told me they will help their neighbors who also have trauma.

• People have found the treatment of their trauma problems in their homes, and this treatment is effective in a very short time.
• I treat people and they go back spreading the good news brought to them by TFT.

• I treated my clients and taught them to treat themselves, and now I am happy with them. They tell me that they are also treating their family members using TFT
• Yes. The people I treated were and are still pleased with TFT results. Imagine to see a person who had lost his/her laughter laughing again, a person who was living in loneliness recovering from that loneliness, a person who had lost his sleep sleeping again, a person with nightmares getting again hi/her normal sleep, etc.!

• About my using of TFT, it is clear that treating my clients using TFT yielded and is still yielding much fruits and people are pleased with this.

5. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR USING THOUGHT FIELD THERAPY TO HELP INDIVIDUALS IN YOUR COMMUNITY MADE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR COMMUNITY? PLEASE DESCRIBE WHY OR WHY NOT.

• So far I am working in a boarding school and I have not yet gone outside the school to treat the people who are not students.

• Yes, my community is happy of TFT. For instance, there is a wife who used to quarrel with her husband, but after treating them using TFT there is peace in their family.

• The community is happy with TFT. For example, there are some people who lived desperately but now are no longer living in loneliness.

• Yes, there is happiness in the community in which I work because they know I live with them and I am there for them.

• Stating myself as a vivid example, I was one of the people suffering from trauma. I treated myself and I pushed ahead to treat other people. We are all better.

• TFT solved the disputes in the families.

• Using TFT brought a positive change, especially at my working place.

• Yes, my using TFT to help individuals in my community made a difference in my community. This is because the problems of one person in the community affect in a way or in another the whole community. For instance, when a person is traumatized, lonely, depressed, selfish and guilty, that person cannot develop his/her community as long as s/he is not yet freed from those problems.

• TFT helped individuals in my community finding solutions to different trauma based problems and this made and is still making positive impact in my community.

6. IS THERE ANYTHING MORE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SAY ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE THESE THREE MONTHS USING THOUGHT FIELD THERAPY TO HELP OTHERS?

• In truth, my experience is not yet very high. As I am working with students, time came for them to start long holidays and this made me not continue practicing TFT in order to up bring my practical skills.

• TFT is a lasting solution to the problems caused by trauma, but the people I treat are scattered in the hills. If I could find means to transport, I am sure my service can yield more fruits that those I have so far yielded.

• TFT is helping our people. People’s trauma is decreasing and there is much improvement in people’s lives.

• It would be very beneficial for both therapists and clients if trained Rwandan therapists could also be trained in counseling in order to integrate it with TFT in treating trauma.

• Today in my community it is not a surprise to see people being freed from their trauma using TFT.

• I am now able to treat many people in a very short time with much confidence.

• What I can say in addition to what I have said so far is that I am living myself in a continual surprise of the effects of TFT to my clients.

• I am neither a medical doctor nor a psychologist by profession, but I see with my proper eyes people getting healed from their trauma and some other psychological problems.

• The clients give testimonies of their relief and this makes people like TFT.

• Thanks be to God that ATFT is a nonprofit association. If it were not, I would call it an up-to-date self funding organization. It brings satisfaction to us to see many people revering us simply because we are bringing positive change into peoples’ lives.

• Trained Rwandan therapists deserve advanced training both in TFT and in Guidance and Counseling to keep high their performance.
Thanks

photo credit: Rachel Strohm